<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0V0l8v_0natYVzu00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0V0l8v_0natYVzu00" width="850" height="680" > World War II reenactors brought their own equipment and wore their own uniforms to provide a glimpse of what Fort Vancouver would have looked like during that time period on, Saturday, July 22. Some reenactors had World War II era jeeps along with their full tent and supply displays. “I think it’s meeting with the reenactors, getting their perspective, hearing their stories and learning about the lives of military personnel in World War II and seeing all of their equipment. They bring some amazing stuff,” Jennifer Ladd with the National Park Service said regarding what people have looked forward to while visiting. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> During World War II, Fort Vancouver was bustling as in 1941, the Barnes Medical Center was under const ruction to serve as a 750-bed military hospital with almost 1,000 members of the medical corps living and working at the fort, the National Park Service states in an article. The 7th Infantry trained at Camp Bonneville before moving to Fort Lewis near Tacoma. The 18th Engineers came to Fort Vancouver to practice launching assault boats and built pontoon bridges on the Columbia River. Pearson Field became a landing stop for aircraft as fuel stations were located in Vancouver and Portland. Pearson Field was also home to a large number of reserve pilots, the National Park Service states. After Pearl Harbor, a “state of civic emergency” was declared in Vancouver due to the strategic location. The interstate bridge was ringed with searchlights and guns, the National Park Service states. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “The Vancouver barracks served as a port of embarkation,” Ladd said. “So, soldiers would come here. They would train. They would get outfitted, and then they would get shipped off to the Pacific and other points around the world. So, it w as a really busy place during World War II and an important place. It was a service club. We had ship building in the area. So there was a lot going on here during World War II.” The National Park Service adds that in 1940, Vancouver’s population sat close to 19,000, but by 1944 the population skyrocketed to 95,000. The Vancouver Housing Authority was formed to address the enormous demand and built eight housing projects to accommodate 57,000 people. One of the projects, McLoughlin Heights, housed 25,000 people and had 60 miles of streets. The project was larger than Vancouver proper, the National Park Service states. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> When the war ended, the Vancouver Barracks disembarked thousands of troops from the Pacific. The wartime changes would remain as key features for Vancouver. New industrial technologies boomed, and the local economy, infrastructure and transportation systems modernized and expanded. Social services improved, and the infrastructure gains from the war era helped support post-war Vancouver as it took on a regional city role, the National Park Service states. “These reenactors are volunteers,” Ladd said. “They’re here because they want to be here, and we couldn’t do what we do with programs like this without them. So, they’re amazing, and we thank them, and we’re getting a great turnout so far. So we’re really happy to see the public here enjoying the event.” </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

World War II reenactors brought their own equipment and wore their own uniforms to provide a glimpse of what Fort Vancouver would have looked like during that time period on, Saturday, July 22.